fragile beauty...

yesterday was cynthia's eighteenth birthday (I purchased her when she was one from a small Ukranian family for two goats and a bottle of good vodka ), so we went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to check out some of the glasswork of local resident Frabel, whose fantastic sculptures were scattered throughout the grounds. his orchids were indistinguishable from the actual flowers, and he also had some other very interesting pieces (these top two were in glass cases). cynthia took some photos with her pinhole camera and I thought I'd post a few (click to enlarge):






these figures are surreal:


this is a Dale Chihuly chandelier that was purchased from an exhibit and donated to the Garden:


and we were treated to a complex song from a mockingbird atop a Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture:


a poem from Animal Life to accompany it:

seen thru rubies

you have to assert your will
to be alive.

you have to make it known that
you will not be satisfied
standing in line with the others.

you have to
see where the mockingbird sits
in the setting sun.

there is style and wonder
there is music
when you
wake and know that

struggle be damned

it
is
possible.



then we splurged on a birthday bottle of our current favorite wine, the Ducru, which has so far cost us all the baby's formula money as well as all the coins I could find between the cushions on our second hand couch (genuine leatherette). I thought I was going to have to go into the city and beg for spare change from some of those pretentious, elitest, liberal intellectuals you find there, but my government check came, so we're alright for now, thanks.

so, a toast, to the best thing in my life, seventeen years running. happy birthday, cyn.